The Truth About Carol Burnett’s Relationship with Jim Nabors
Growing up, The Carol Burnett Show was required viewing in our home. And part of what made the show so great was that Carol surrounded herself with an amazing crew. I was always impressed with how hilarious Lyle Waggoner could be; after The Carol Burnett Show, he would take on the role of Major Steve Trevor in the TV version of Wonder Woman, and despite the fact that there really wasn’t anything funny at all about that role, he would always make me smile on that program, as well.
But the funniest person on The Carol Burnett Show? In my mind, it had to be Tim Conway. No one — and I mean, no one — could play a dim-witted fool better than Tim. And the rest of the cast was equally brilliant, led of course by Ms. Burnett herself. Carol is one of those rare comedians who, I think, has the ability to pull off awkward and elegant at the same time.
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Of course, that whole show made me smile, and Carol would have some amazing guests on her show. Being a huge Batman fan, Frank Gorshin’s appearance did not go unnoticed. I also appreciated Cher’s guest appearances on the show for obvious reasons: her amazing voice and her comedic flair. That’s what you thought I was going to say, right?
Carol also made sure that every season opened with one special guest, someone she considered to be her lucky charm. Who am I talking about? Well, it was none other than good old Gomer Pyle himself, Mr. Jim Nabors. Every single season, Jim would be on hand to help kick things off and he was great. He and Carol would sing, and of course, they would goof around a whole lot.
Carol and Jim’s relationship began before her variety show., and had been built on the tremendous amount of respect that the two of them had for each other’s talent. Around the same time as the debut of her show, she made an appearance on Nabors’ spinoff from The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., where she played the amorous Corporal Carol, who tried to put the moves on good old Gomer, threatening his relationship with his girlfriend, Lou-Ann.
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Corporal Carol was hilarious, so much so that when she returned in a later episode, she had been promoted to Sergeant Carol, most likely for reasons having to do with being so darn funny. Somewhere along the way, Carol made it a point to ask her dear friend to be her special V.I.P. guest on every season premiere.
When Jim Nabors passed away in November 2017, Carol Burnett did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where she shared: “Jim and I remained close friends for 52 years. He was the godfather of my daughter, Jodi. Every year he was always the first guest on my variety show. I considered him my good luck charm. My heart is heavy, and I’m grateful he was a large part of my life. I miss him. I love him.”
What an amazing tribute. Even after his passing, Jim continued to open up for Carol. When CBS ran Carol’s 50th-anniversary program, they led off with another TV special titled Remembering Jim Nabors.
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Classic Comedy Duos
March 2021
Chuckle at television & films funniest comic duos.
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